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Outsourcing services to overseas providers is a popular strategy for information technology businesses, but while the practice can provide a number of benefits, that doesn't mean things always go smoothly. Conflicts can and do arise between stateside companies and foreign firms. Before taking legal action, legal experts recommend exhausting all other options, since a lawsuit with an offshore provider can be expensive and laborious. Try withholding payment to make the provider more cooperative, or try seeking arbitration if it is available, because foreign courts are more likely to uphold an arbitration ruling, experts say.

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With the growth of the information economy in places such as Mexico, the U.S. is experiencing an increase in reverse outsourcing as more foreign firms choose stateside data centers to power their cloud platforms. Not only is the trend creating opportunities for companies such as Texas-based hosting services provider Savvis, it is also fueling an increasingly contentious competition between the U.S. and foreign firms that are eager for a piece of the action.

A drop in the valuation of the U.K.'s technology sector presents an enticing opportunity for cash-rich global firms looking to boost their holdings and bring value to investors, market watchers say. Using Hewlett-Packard's $11.7 billion offer for Autonomy as an example, analysts say they expect merger-and-acquisition activity to pick up in the sector and note that firms with robust intellectual property portfolios and those aligned with the cloud-computing sector make particularly good targets.

Universally glowing reviews can be less effective than publicity that's generally positive, but acknowledges one or two minor flaws, researchers say. A slightly negative description reinforces positive initial impressions if the positive evidence strongly outweighs the negative. That means marketers shouldn't go out of their way to downplay or hide negative reviews and less-than-stellar customer feedback, the researchers say.

Getting a tan using good old-fashioned sunlight can be painful, dangerous and at times simply impractical, which is why millions of people every year turn to alternatives such as ultraviolet light and spray cans to give their skin that tropical luster. Now, a company called Clinuvel has a new option: a rice-sized capsule that would be implanted under a user's skin, prompting the body to produce melanin. The compound in the implant, called Scenesse, was originally designed for medical applications but has since drawn the interest of the beauty industry. The substance has already gotten a nod from cancer researchers, who say it could reduce cases of melanoma.

Hurricane Irene had little effect on cellphone networks in areas along the Eastern Seaboard where it struck, knocking out just 1,400 cell sites, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Mobile phones served as an important communications link for those who lost power.